Funding your research

There is help available from various sources to fund your life as a research student.

Funded postgraduate research
positions

Most institutions advertise funded
postgraduate research positions on the
postgraduate study/research section of
their website. These are normally
funded as part of a larger project.
In Northern Ireland there are two
types of award available: Studentships
and Co-operative Awards in Science and
Technology (CAST) (for research projects
at Northern Ireland universities with an
industry partner). These awards
generally last for three years and cover
a maintenance allowance (around
£14,057 ) and fees. Details are available
on the postgraduate section of
https://www.delni.gov.uk/.

As with all postgraduate programmes you will need to think about maintenance costs. While there are always hidden costs that are difficult to budget for, there are a number that are more obvious. For those undergoing research in either science or social sciences, attendance at conferences, both at home and abroad, are an important part of developing your profile academically.

How to fund yourself

While most postgraduates support themselves, there are a number of other ways of funding postgraduate study. The following are specific to research students.

Funded postgraduate research positions

Most institutions, in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, advertise funded postgraduate research positions on the Postgraduate Study/Research section of their website. These studentships are funded as part of a larger project awarded to principal investigators within each institution. In Northern Ireland there are two types of full-time research studentship available: Research Studentships and Cast Studentships. You can view full details of these on the postgraduate section of the Department of Employment and Learning website. To be eligible for these awards you must have been a resident in the UK (or, for fees-only awards, elsewhere in the EU) for three years before applying.

Research councils

The Republic’s two research councils,
the Irish Research Council for the
Humanities and Social Sciences
(IRCHSS) and the Irish Research Council
for Engineering and Technology
(IRCSET), have now merged to become
the Irish Research Council
(www.research.ie). The merger won’t
affect existing postgraduate
scholarships or research fellowships,
but will, the government hopes,
ultimately result in a strengthening of
focus on early stage research careers.
Bringing the science and humanities
disciplines together should also
provide increased opportunities in
interdisciplinary research. The Irish
Research Council will remain the
principal body of postgraduate study
and research in Ireland.

UK Research Councils

Research Councils UK (www.rcuk.ac.uk) is the umbrella body for the seven
Research Councils in the UK. The
individual Research Councils are:

The Arts and Humanities Research
Council www.ahrc.ac.uk

Economic and Social Research
Council www.esrc.ac.uk

Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council www.epsrc.ac.uk

Natural Environment Research
Council www.nerc.ac.uk

Medical Research Council
www.mrc.ac.uk

Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council
www.bbsrc.ac.uk

Science and Technology Facilities
Council www.stfc.ac.uk

You should approach your prospective
academic department to discuss
applying to one of the Research Councils.

Working within your institution

Many university departments offer
postgraduates paid roles as teaching
assistants or tutors. However, there is
normally a limit on the number of
hours you are allocated, so that this
work does not adversely affect your
own studies.

UCC have a comprehensive PhD funding programme, more details can be found here

Funding from your institution

Many institutions provide bursaries or
travel funds to help cover the cost of
attending conferences. You will be able
to get details from your institution’s
Graduate Studies office

Other research schemes

Research schemes are run also by other
funding bodies, such as the
Environmental Protection Agency
(www.epa.ie), Teagasc (Walsh
Fellowships) (www.teagasc.ie) and
Science Foundation Ireland
(www.sfi.ie). Applications are through
funded projects, so check with your
department or your academic
supervisor for more information.